Thin semiconductor chips have gained considerable popularity in recent years, for instance in the greatly increasing number of applications for RFID tags. However, thin semiconductor chips have also found wide-ranging applications in power electronics. Since these and future applications are extremely cost-sensitive, there is a considerable need for high-productivity, low-cost production methods.
Thin semiconductor chips which have to undergo certain process steps for back-side processing (for instance those for applications in the area of power electronics) are thinned to the required thickness at wafer level and, after that (also at wafer level), the mentioned back-side process steps are performed, the chips are tested and only then are they singulated.
These known methods are disadvantageous in certain respects. For example, the handling of very thin semiconductor wafers involves special requirements.